Protective device



g- 14, 1934- E. A. DlCKENSON 1,970,130

PROTECTIVE DEVICE Filed March 18. 1933 i atented Aug. 14, 193 3 STflilS1,970,130 rno'rno'rrvn DEvroEi Edwin A. Dickenson, Aurora, Illl, assignor to Alfred Edwin Dickenso'n, Chicago, 111.

Application March 18, 1933, Serial No. 661,488

1 Claim.

My present invention relates to protective devices for use in footballand other athletic sports. So far as I am at present aware theprotective devices available for the shoulders of a football playerconsists of separate devices for the respective shoulders or of an armorformed from leather or tough fibrous material laced about the player,the armor being provided on its inner surface with a padding of felt forthe purpose of cushioning such impacts as may be received upon the outersurface of the leather or fibre. Such felt is absorptive of perspirationand subject to compacting and constituting a portion or adjunct to theoutlaying stiff armor of leather or fibre rubs against the muscles asthey move beneath it in the playing of the game.

My new protective device is preferably in the form of an integral pad ofa soft and pliable material which will adapt itself readily to thecontour of the players body and move therewith as the underl-ayingmuscles of the players body move during the play. In this way frictionbe tween the protective device and the players body will be largely, ifnot entirely, eliminated. Such a device in itself will afford a verylarge degree of protection but it may advantageously be employed with anouter armor of leather or fibre to prevent puncture from cleats or othersharp points or edges and to distribute the impact from such sharppoints or edges. However, if my protective device is employed with astiff, outer element, or armor, the attachment between my device andsuch outer stiff layer should be of such a nature as to permit of somedegree of movement or flexing of the underlaying protective device withrespect to the stiff covering.

I am aware that sponge rubber has been suggested as suitable forpadding. I propose to form my protective device of gassed rubber, but itdiffers, as I employ it, from the ordinary sponge rubber in that thevoids or interstices are so fine as to be hardly discernible by unaidedvision, and I completely cover all surfaces of my device with animpervious rubber skin for the purpose of preventing any absorption ofperspiration or moisture of any kind and for increasing the toughnesswithout impairing the flexibility of the completed article.

As will hereafter be observed, I provide my protective device with anumber of perforations or foramenations so located and proportioned asto preserve the strength of the device, and it will be found that theseforamenations or perforations in movement during play secure an I actualpumping of the air from opposite sides of the device in accordance withthe movement imparted to it by the motions of the player so as toconsiderably increase ventilation.

My device will be found tobe readily washable and sterilizable and willlast in service for several years, whereas the padding of felt, or othermaterial, rigidly attached to an outer stiff covering or armor rarelyremains in satisfactory condition through a single season of play.

I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention in a form of protectivedevice particularly adapted for protecting the shoulders and the backand front upper portions of the torso of a football player.

Fig. l is a plan or development of such a protecting device,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal, central section on line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of my device in combination with the usualexterior stiff covering of leather or fibre, and

Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 2 through the combined structureshown in Fig. 3.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout therespective views.

The central portion of my device 5 is generally rectangular with thecorners thereof cut away on suitable curved lines 6. The sides of theportion 5 are sufficiently long to extend from substantially the loweredge of the shoulder blades in the back to about the sternum of thefront of the wearer. In the center of the portion 5 is the neck aperture7, the edges of the pad being beveled upwardly to conform to hecurvature of the neck. Extending from the centers of the sides of theportion 5 are devlopments 8-8 of a rounded contour to extend over theupper ends of the arms of the wearer. It

' Will be noted that the arm developments are cut back, as at 9, as thecurvature over the top of the arms and over the torso is somewhatdifferent and would develop a wrinkle on the under surface which wouldtend to rub and abrade the skin of the wearer.

As heretofore stated the device ismade of gassed rubber, approximatelyone-half inch thick, preferably with very fine voids or interstices 10,and is covered on both sides with an impervious skin 11. Throughout thearticle are provided perforations or foramenations 12, the walls ofwhich perforations or foramenations 12 are also covered with theimpervious outer skin 11. Such a structure made of the materialsdescribed is quite flexible, easily conforming to the form of thewearer. Such a structure is also elastic which will permit the head ofthe wearer to be easily inserted through the neck aperture 7, and whenthe player has inserted his head through the aperture 7 it will be foundthat the whole device is located with respect to the body without thenecessity of additional means for securing it in place other than theusual outer jacket. However, the forward part of the central portion 5between the neck aperture and the front of the device may be split andlaced, as shown by dotted lines 13 in Fig. 1.

When my device is worn in connection with an exterior stiff armor 14 ofleather or fibre, the armor may be laced over and about my device in theusual way without any specific means of attachment between the armor andmy device, or, if it is desired to attach my device to the armor, theattachment should be with loops, or in such other way as may be desiredso as to permit relative movement between the armor l4 and my device, orotherwise a relative movement between the armor and the wearer woulddrag my device over the skin of the wearer and the armor would alsoprevent the pumping action induced by the change of the form of theperforations or foramenations 12 caused by the movement of the player.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

A protective device for players in athletic contests comprising anintegral body shaped to conform with the portion of the wearer to beprotected, said body being provided with spaced foramenations and formedof gassed rubber with a continuous, impervious, exterior skin incombination with a stiff outer covering associated with said bodyportion, tie pieces passing loosely through said foramenations in saidbody piece and attached to said outer covering so as to permit relativemovement between said body portion and said outer covering.

EDWHT A. DICKENSON.

